Keep your 2015 New Year fitness resolutions on track with these 10
psychological training tools used by superstar athletes

“My mentor Steve Black introduced me to the Japanese concept of ‘Kaizen’, which is all about continuous improvement. Basically, imagine yourself being filmed by a video camera 24 hours a day. That’s not meant to sound like Big Brother by the way, with some kind of restrictive and ridiculously strict parent looking over your shoulder and making you feel bad every time you eat a chocolate bar. It is just a way of saying: 'if you watched that video back at the end of the day, would you be happy with yourself?'

"It might involve a small change like a choice of meal, or something bigger like a commitment to new training methods. But it is effectively developing a process of continual improvement. When you think about your life in that way, it gives you all the purpose and motivation you need every day.”

“When you’re riding your bike, set yourself a target based on distance – not time. That means you always know how many miles you have to go and there is a definite finish line to aim for. So the harder you go, the quicker it is over.

“Music is really good for keeping you focused and motivated. I would listen to anything from Muse, Pearl Jam and Kings of Leon to David Guetta.

"When you are training, get a music playlist you like and don’t change it. Always keep the songs in the same order. It seems boring but your mind recognises the next song and gives you a focus and a sense of progress so you know you can always last the playlist.”

“The main way I stay motivated during the winter months is by ensuring I have somebody to meet. That means getting out of bed becomes a case of not letting the other person down so it’s harder to give in.

"Also, you have to be quick and sharp in the morning: get ready, have breakfast and go. If you have breakfast and just sit there watching half an hour of morning telly and then look out at the grey sky, it’s probably too late. Get up and out of the door before you start thinking.

"I try not to choose a loop where there is a turn-off halfway which might tempt me to cut the route short. If I choose a three-hour route which I can shorten to an hour and a half then I probably will. It’s better to choose a big loop with no escape roads so you are locked in for the full ride.”

“There are times – especially when we are doing background training before the race season – when the training really pains you. You have ten 300m sprints to run and when you get to number eight you think, ‘Oh God, I’ve got two more.’ Your legs are paining and your mind is saying, ‘Come on Usain, you are Olympic champion, you are world champion, just go home.’

"But you remember that these next two are what made me a champion before and will make me a champion again.”

“Being competitive with your friends or team-mates can really push you on. For example, you want to turn up at any fitness test in good nick because your fitness shows how much you want to play and get in the side.

“We spend so much time rowing which means when we do some cross-training like cycling it revitalises you mentally and physically. We’ve done a lot of cycling on training camps. It’s never easy and we still push ourselves but it helps to mix it up.

“I wouldn’t just work out what training I needed to do, but what specific training drills were necessary, how I would do them, why I would do them, how many times and when? By following this ‘mind map’ you will find yourself asking all the right questions and working out the right answers. It means you are entirely in control of what you do and therefore completely focused on achieving it.

"We can all come up with reasons why we don’t have to change or work harder or try new things. But when you start asking questions, when you deal in facts and when you are honest about what you find, self-improvement is the inevitable result.”

“Anybody would get bored slogging away on a treadmill but if you train outdoors you will always have new routes and new conditions to deal with. It’s not just about different trails on which to run and cycle but you can do them in different ways too – like trying mountain biking and cross-riding as well as road cycling. The training becomes more fun if you ride in amazing outdoor scenery and it distracts you from all the pain.”

“I like having the odd blowout. I try to have the odd beer or glass of wine throughout the season as it stops you really wanting it and going off the rails. Especially being Welsh, you need a drink every now and again.

"I have a few breaks when I eat what I want and have a few drinks and those little blocks keep me focused and refreshed so I am ready to crack on with the next block of training.”